Report: MLB forced out groundbreaking executive Bob Bowman after years of inappropriate behavior
Bob Bowman, perhaps the most influential figure in transforming Major League Baseball into a $10 billion a year revenue giant, resigned in November in part due to a pair of physical incidents this past year and more than a decade of inappropriate behavior toward subordinates, according to a published report.
Bowman, who for 17 years spearheaded MLB Advanced Media into a digital powerhouse that was the envy of other sports and entertainment entities, left the league on Nov. 6, thanked then by Commissioner Rob Manfred for “a job well done.”
But a Wall Street Journal report Thursday indicated that Bowman shoved a member of the Boston Red Sox ownership group at an All-Star Game function in July and more recently verbally berated a staff member in the weeks before his departure.
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More disturbingly, according to the Journal, citing people familiar with Bowman, he cultivated an atmosphere toxic to women employees, including propositioning them, engaging in relationships with subordinates and using pejoratives directly in their presence.
Then-commissioner Bud Selig was made aware of Bowman’s behavior by former chief operating officer Robert DuPuy. Yet no apparent action was taken against Bowman as he was building MLB’s advanced media wing into a virtual cash machine.
Selig did not immediately return a phone message left Thursday by Paste BN Sports.
In the past two years, Disney spent $2.58 billion to acquire a 75% stake in MLBAM; this winter alone, every MLB owner will receive a $50 million check from that transaction.
Yet in providing a Silicon Valley-style shot in the arm to MLB, Bowman also brought problems all too familiar to those familiar with the hard-driving tech sector.
“The culture that started at BAM was hard working and driven. At times, it was also inappropriate and I take full responsibility,” Bowman said in a statement to the Journal. “This inappropriate behavior reflects my personal flaws and not someone else’s. This behavior and my personal behavior were wrong. To those who felt the sting of my behavior, I am truly sorry. To my family, friends and business colleagues who have been steadfastly supportive of me, and whom I have embarrassed, I apologize.
“And finally, to the outstanding professionals at MLB.com, my colleagues since 2000, my behavior should in no way diminish your unmatched ability, your phenomenal track record, and your record setting list of achievements as an organization.”
Said Manfred: “I would say that (the October) incident was the culmination of a variety of issues that had gone on over a period of time, and it precipitated a conversation in which Bob and I agreed that the best thing for him to do was to leave."
Manfred has in recent years moved to unify MLB's central office with its advanced media wing, which has been located in Manhattan's Chelsea district. He noted to the Journal that MLBAM's culture was "very insular," and MLB employees reportedly were required to complete a 45-minute training course on harassment and inappropriate behavior in the weeks following Bowman's departure.
Contributing: Bob Nightengale